[electro music playing]
[Devi screaming]
[McEnroe] For those of you with short-term memory loss,
Devi had just gotten into zero, that's right, zero colleges.
The shit had hit the fan and was now all over the room.
What was that scream? Did another possum come through the vents?
Oh, wait.
-Did you hear back from colleges? -Ye-- Yeah.
Okay, well, don't leave me in suspense.
[McEnroe] How could Devi tell her mom that she'd gotten in nowhere?
That she'd completely nuked her own future?
That her mother's only child was a capital-F failure?
Kanna, come on. Where did you get in?
Everywhere.
[McEnroe] The answer is she wouldn't.
Oh my God!
That's incredible!
["Two Cents" by Lady Kash playing]
♪ Yenna paarve? ♪
♪ I said whatchu lookin’ at, boy? ♪
♪ Ada yenna paarve? ♪
♪ Whatchu call dat? ♪
Hi, Akshara, it's Devi Vishwakumar.
I don't know if you saw, but I somehow was accidentally placed on the wait-list.
Or maybe it was a prank,
in which case I get it, and I think it's funny, not cruel.
Please call me back.
[McEnroe] Devi's head was like a shanked serve,
spinning hopelessly out of control.
Devi Delishwakumar, you saucy little genius!
Congratulations!
-What? -[Fabiola] You got into every single Ivy?
Your mom called my mom. That's unbelievable.
[McEnroe] Oh God, the lie was spreading.
But also, the truth was too painful to say.
You guys, look at us.
Eleanor is basically seconds away from being a Hollywood star,
and Devi and I are gonna be roomies at Princeton.
-You still wanna go to Princeton, right? -Yeah, I do.
I do wanna go to Princeton.
I mean, we've all basically turned into the people we wanted to be freshman year,
and now tonight, we get to celebrate at our freakin' senior prom.
How perfect is that?
[McEnroe] Oh right, prom.
Devi had looked forward to this night her entire high school career,
but in typical Devi fashion, had created too big of a mess to enjoy it.
Right, that is perfect.
Anyway, I gotta run and talk to Ms. Warner.
But def can't wait for tonight.
Agh! Actually, I gotta jet too.
I'm showing Gears at the National High School Tech Fair,
and I gotta debug him.
He downloaded a CrossFit video,
and now likes to guess people's BMIs out loud.
And I also have a lot of really exciting things going on for me,
so I have to get to all of those.
See you gals tonight!
Hi, Ms. Warner. Wanna talk to me?
Well, I never want to talk to anyone, but I need to talk to you, young man.
Apparently, you've been skipping classes,
and you haven't turned in any homework in the last few weeks.
Now what the hell is going on?
I figured since I got into Columbia early,
I could take my brand-new Jordans off the gas pedal.
[laughs sarcastically]
Well, then allow me to put my worn-out Skechers up your backside,
because if you keep this up, you will fail your classes,
and Columbia will rescind its acceptance.
But Trent said that was a myth.
Trent Harrison?
The thirteenth grader who routinely hangs his backpack on the fire alarm?
That is who you're taking academic advice from?
Oh my God.
Oh my God, I have so much work to do.
[frantic music playing]
[school bell ringing]
Hey. What are you doing here?
Oh, just checking in on my friends.
Are you okay?
You seem sad.
And in a real way, not in a "practicing crying on command" way.
Yeah, well, I saw my mom the other day.
Whoa, you saw your mom?
Did you give her a knuckle sando or what?
No, I'm not angry anymore.
I just kind of feel sorry for her.
I mean, she sacrificed her whole life for a career that's just not gonna happen.
And I'm worried the same thing's gonna happen to me.
Are you yanking my nuts right now? Of course you're gonna make it.
You're the most talented person in the whole flat world.
Do you know how many really talented out-of-work actors there are in LA?
And everyone's just crossing their fingers that some director chooses them.
So then you should become the director.
Pfft!
[gasps] Wait, that's actually not a bad idea.
Like, I could learn how to direct
and make my own projects to act in,
like Greta Gerwig, or several problematic male directors.
Well, actually, I meant you could bonk a director in the head,
drag them into a closet, steal their clothes,
then pretend to be them long enough to give yourself the part.
But your idea is good too.
Well, listen, El-Bell, I gotta get to class.
I don't wanna be a third-year senior.
But I'm not worried about you.
I stand by what I told you before.
You're a shooting star.
["Air I Breathe" by Sophie Blair playing]
♪ And I'll say it right ♪
♪ I might this time ♪
Ms. Warner, do you know happen to know if there's a college
that does same-day acceptance, preferably one that's very prestigious?
Oh no. I take it you stuck to the "no safety school" plan?
Why did you let me do that? You should've slapped some sense into me.
Oh, believe me, I wanted to.
I'm sorry, Devi. Were there at least any wait-lists?
Only Princeton.
I'm such an idiot.
Why did I think I could get into those schools?
Because you should have. You're an excellent student.
But those schools have tens of thousands of applications from excellent students.
So, what do I do now?
Well, you still have that wait-list spot.
You could get in.
But what if I don't get in?
Then you'll just apply again next fall. It isn't the end of the world.
Yes, it is, Ms. Warner.
It… really is.
[upbeat music playing]
-[inaudible conversation] -[robot beeping]
[electronic whine]
Fab, we scoped out the other booths, and they've got nothing on you and Gears.
Really? Oh my God.
You guys, is that Dr. Leela Tye? Is she one of the judges here?
Who is Leela Tye?
She's the head of Robotics at Howard and a certified badass.
Oh God, she's coming here.
-Hi. I'm-- -[Fabiola] Dr. Tye.
I know. I'm Fabiola Torres, and this is my robot, Gears Brosnan.
Great name. Tell me a little bit about Gears.
Well, he can detect carbon monoxide, lift ten times his body weight,
plus he gives excellent relationship advice.
[Gears] Relationships are like improv, not for everybody.
That's cute.
[Gears] You did not laugh. I will remember that.
-Wait, is he reacting to me? -Mm-hmm.
Miss Torres, did you, as a high schooler, create legitimate artificial intelligence?
Well, I wouldn't call it "artificial." Gears is truly his authentic self.
That's extremely impressive.
Even more impressive than my self-made fanny pack charging station?
-Yes. -Very good. Thank you for your time.
Do you know where you're going to college yet?
Howard has a cutting-edge engineering department.
I know, uh, which is actually why I applied there.
Well, I'm sure you've no shortage of schools to choose from,
but part of what drew me to Howard
is their mission to make the field of robotics a more inclusive space.
Oh my God.
That's what I've been trying to do with my team at school.
When I became captain, it was pretty much all fanny-pack guys,
but we've come a long way since,
and the lab smells so much better now.
I bet it does.
Look, at the risk of coming on too strong here,
if you are planning to attend Howard, there's an opening in my lab.
I'm always interested in mentoring new talent,
and I think you'd fit right in.
Really? Me?
Yes, you. [chuckles]
Listen, I have to keep doing my rounds here,
but I truly hope to see you in the fall.
[Gears] Maybe you will, maybe you won't.
There's a lot of heat on Fab and Gears right now.
I'm sorry. Excuse him, I have to turn down his confidence level.
[McEnroe] Uh-oh. Better call the fire department
because someone just felt a collegiate spark.
Devi left Ms. Warner's office feeling lower than Trent's ponytail.
She had royally tanked her own future,
and she would have to tell her mother the truth.
-What could be worse than that? -[PA system chimes]
[Principal Grubbs] Everyone, congratulate Devi Vishwakumar.
I just heard she's been accepted to every single Ivy League school.
Dress up on Monday because I'm calling all the news outlets.
[all applauding]
[McEnroe] Okay, yeah, that was worse.
Yo, D, I just heard. That's so sick.
[groans]
[vomiting]
[breathing heavily]
[Ben] David?
You okay?
Uh, hi.
[hesitating] Yeah.
Yeah, I'd probably barf too if I got a clean sweep.
Congratulations. It's insane.
Yeah, "insane" is the right word for it.
What are you doing in here?
Oh. I kind of got a case of senioritis and sort of stopped doing my work,
so Ms. Warner put me on probation.
I'm not allowed to go to prom, and I have to sit here and catch up
so that Columbia doesn't take back my acceptance.
What? [scoffs]
How could you carelessly throw away such a precious opportunity?
Do you know how many people would kill to be in your position?
Jeez, I know. I'm sorry. I'm fixing it right now.
You gonna hit me?
No.
Do you want some help?
Really? You'd rather sit here and do calculus
than celebrate out there with all your fans?
Okay, don't question me. Just accept the help.
[gentle music playing]
[upbeat music playing]
[McEnroe] Devi had hidden out the rest of the school day
doing Ben's homework,
and now she was home,
supposedly getting ready for the most magical night of her life.
[sighs]
[McEnroe] Or not.
[phone vibrating]
-Hello. -Hey, Devi.
It's Akshara from Princeton.
I'm so sorry to take so long to get back to you.
I've had to make a lot of these calls today.
Okay. So, what's the deal with the wait-list then?
Is it like a "thoughts and prayers" kind of situation,
or is there a routing number you wanna slide my way?
Unfortunately, your best chance is to fill out the supplemental essay.
That's it? Write another essay?
But what can I say that I haven't already said?
[Akshara] I think you could say more.
Your first essay was…
It was very well written. It was very academic.
It had multiple uses of the word "dichotomy."
-But it didn't really show me who you are. -But you know who I am.
I call you every week.
You're the only one that knows that one of my teeth is fake.
Yeah, that's all true, but I wanna know why you are who you are.
If I could give you one piece of advice for this essay…
[smacks lips] …dig a little deeper.
And if I do that, then… what are my chances?
Well, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it for you.
We don't take a lot of people off the wait-list,
but it's not a zero percent chance, so it's worth a shot, right?
And I know whatever happens, wherever you go,
you have a bright future ahead of you.
Yeah.
Sure.
[sighs]
Bye, Akshara.
[somber music playing]
Whoa. Kanna, you look stunning.
[gasps] Thanks.
Mom, I need to tell you something.
I actually wanted to talk to you too.
Um…
You know,
I was just thinking about this amazing achievement of yours,
and, uh, on your very special night… [chuckles]
…and I started to think about when your dad asked me to move here.
And, uh, you know, at first I…
[inhales deeply] I didn't want to. I mean, we seriously struggled.
But then I look at you right now,
like, so beautiful, and…
so accomplished,
and it just makes all the hardship worth it.
That's all, ma.
[McEnroe] Devi already felt pretty low before this conversation,
but now she was somewhere around the Earth's core.
[Nalini] Okay then, hurry up.
Your friends are waiting outside in… a very tacky limo.
[groovy song playing]
[McEnroe] Welcome, everybody. It is an honor to be driving you tonight.
My name is Stoo, spelled the usual way, S-T-O-O.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the refreshments
left by the people I drove to Vegas last night.
Is that vodka? Hell yeah.
[McEnroe] Wow, can you believe our girls are heading off to their senior prom?
And happy to just go with each other as dates?
That shows real maturity from them, which they would notice
if they weren't all secretly struggling with their own inner demons.
Hey, Devi.
Since we're heading off to a milestone, just thinking about milestones to come,
and I was wondering how important it is that I be your roommate at Princeton.
[slurping]
Uh, what?
Yeah, super important.
Samesies.
I also want that, which is why it's good it's happening.
Could I also get some vodka?
Wow, gals, straight vodka?
Well, let's partay.
Driver, take the scenic route.
You got it. Let's take this baby up a mountain.
[Eleanor] Whoo!
[party song playing]
[Fabiola] Whoo!
Devi, come on. Come here.
[laughing]
You guys, on this, the most sacred night of high school,
I just wanna say how proud I am of you two,
winning tech fairs and getting clean sweeps.
So here's to your futures.
They're bright as hell! Whoo!
-Whoo! -[Devi screams]
-[tires screeching] -Oh God!
[Eleanor] Ahh!
Hey, this is Stoo, the limo driver up front.
Uh, is any-- anybody dead?
-[Devi sobbing] -Oh my God, Devi, are you hurt?
I didn't get into college.
What?
I didn't get in anywhere.
[somber music playing]
[gasps]
Hey, you girls okay?
Might be best if you don't sleep for a coupla days,
in case you get the brain bleeds.
Thanks for the tip.
So, what do we do about the flat? Is there, like, a spare?
Oh, uh, full disclosure, that was the spare.
Yeah, I got into a nasty accident this morning too.
There's no service up here.
Yeah, um, looks like one of us
is gonna have to go down to Pep Boys to get a new tire.
[sighs] Fine, I'll do it.
But just so you know, technically, this is also formal wear,
Just so you know.
Jeez.
[Fabiola sighs]
Wanna talk about it?
Maybe bring out the vodka?
On it.
Pax, thanks again for volunteering,
and for proving that the faculty prom committee
isn't just for teachers who weren't invited to their own proms.
Yeah, sure.
Unfortunately, the only job that hasn't been claimed is bathroom duty.
What? Come on, man.
I'm sorry. All you have to do is make sure nobody's drinking or smoking in there.
And I can't do it because the students think of me as their cool peer.
But look… you won't be alone.
[romantic song playing]
♪ You're everything I want ♪
[McEnroe] For the first time in his beautiful life,
Paxton was on the receiving end of a slo-mo entrance,
and my God was it good.
♪ Everything I want… ♪
[Paxton] Hi.
You look nice.
Thank you. So do you.
Well, I guess we're officially low-status again.
Speak for yourself.
-I've never been low-status in my-- -[flushing]
Right. [laughs]
[gentle music playing]
I am so sorry, guys.
I didn't mean for this lie to get around.
I just didn't wanna tell my mom the truth.
It's okay. We get it.
[sighs]
I should probably tell Principal Grubbs before she books me on The Today Show.
[laughing]
God, why do I have to be a psycho all the time?
I like your psycho side. It makes things interesting.
[soft music playing]
Yeah, sure.
I'm really sorry we're not gonna be roommates, Fab.
Actually, I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you
that I don't wanna go to Princeton.
-What? -I wanna go to Howard.
-That's awesome. -You think so?
Yeah.
I'm really happy for you.
So, what are you gonna do, Devi?
I'm supposed to write this essay to get myself off the wait-list,
but the admissions officer basically said that my chances are slim to none.
Well, at least you two are killing it.
Yeah, right. I'm not killing it.
I haven't booked a part with a single line yet.
But it's okay because I'm gonna take some directing classes.
Trent gave me the idea.
Hold up. You're talking to Trent?
[chuckles] It's not a big deal.
[Devi] El, it's so obvious.
You love Trent.
You should tell him.
Hey, ladies, I… I finally made it down the hill.
Only fell two times.
Um, but we're gonna have to tow the limo.
Yeah, and we're gonna take you to the prom in this truck. [laughs]
Could you just take us home?
I'd actually like to go to someone else's home.
-[knocking on door] -About time.
I ordered that Peanut Buster Parfait two…
Eleanors ago?
Hi.
Sorry I don't have a Peanut Buster Parfait for you.
I actually came here… Uh…
Are you okay? You look like you've seen a goat.
-Do you mean a ghost? -No.
Okay.
Well, I came here
because there's a lot of uncertainty in life, right?
I mean, like, tonight, I got into a limo crash,
and then I found out that Devi, our best student,
didn't actually get into a single college.
[Ben] Wait, what?
Oh, uh, hi.
Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention I had company.
Eleanor, I want you to meet Ben.
What do you mean Devi didn't get into a single college? She got a clean sweep.
Actually, she… got the opposite.
Is she okay?
Hey, Ben, why don't you read the doorway?
Eleanor's dressed like a mermaid
and seems to be ramping up to something good.
[Ben] Yeah, sure. Sorry.
Okay, he's gone. Please continue your ramp.
I was trying to say that even though there's all this uncertainty,
I'm certain about one thing.
I wanna be with you.
Yes! That's what I was hoping you were gonna say.
And you mean romantically, right?
Not like as a team for The Amazing Race?
[laughs] Yes, romantically.
["Sucker" by Kaptan playing]
[vocalizing]
♪ I'm just a sucker for a happy ending ♪
[upbeat music playing]
Okay, Shrimp, I don't think you need
a bundled-up sweatshirt to go to the bathroom.
-You don't know how I shit. -Shrimp.
-[Shrimp sighs] -Thank you.
[door opens]
So, what'd we get this time?
-Um, Laffy Taffy schnapps. -Wow.
-That's new. -All right.
[sighs]
This is exactly why I got into the teaching game.
Yeah.
I mean, we really are shaping the future one flush at a time.
[laughs]
I am curious though. Why did you decide to become a teacher?
Well, uh, when I was in high school,
my parents were going through a pretty messy divorce,
and my grades started to slip.
But there was this one teacher who would not let me fail.
I mean, it sounds corny,
but I wanna change someone's life like that.
That's not corny at all.
I think it's awesome.
Well, it sounds like you already had one of those moments.
Um…
I heard what you did for Eric on the swim team.
Oh, come on. I barely did anything.
I just blew a whistle and told him not to drown.
Well… for what it's worth,
I feel you could do this for real if you wanted to.
It did feel good helping him.
I wouldn't mind doing that for a living.
["Nightline" by Ships & Uncle Gene playing]
And there are other things about this job that are pretty great.
Oh yeah?
Yeah.
Would you ever wanna hang out?
Like further away from the bathroom maybe?
Sure.
That sounds nice.
["Nightline" continues playing]
Yo, uh, we need help.
Brody was trying to smoke some… salmon,
but then he got stuck in a window.
-[sighs] -Okay.
[Miss Thompson] Come on.
[scoffs]
[knocking on window]
Ben?
[panting] Jesus. That's how Paxton used to come in?
That's freakin' treacherous.
There's nothing to hold on to except a razor-sharp trellis.
Huh. Always seemed pretty easy for him.
-Great. -So… what are you doing here?
Well, I heard about your college situation.
[laughs] Pretty pathetic, huh?
No, it's not pathetic.
[Devi] Mmm, yeah, it is.
Being rejected and wait-listed by everywhere you applied
is, like, the definition of pathetic, so…
You were wait-listed somewhere?
Yeah, Princeton.
-So you still have a shot. -No, I don't.
They want me to do another essay, and I'm not going to.
What? Are you out of your mind?
No, I'm not wasting my time, and I'm done.
I'll just [sighs] apply again next fall.
Look, Devi, you are many things.
A, uh… A maniac, a liar, a heavy sweater, a reckless driver--
-Hey, this is very hurtful. -But you're not a quitter.
Well… it's not gonna make a difference
because I have no chance of getting in anyway.
[Devi sighs]
[Ben sighs]
Look, if anyone gets how badly you wanted to go to Princeton
and how much you killed yourself to try to make that happen, it's me.
-[scoffs] -I mean, if I were you right now,
I'd want someone to put me in like a medically-induced coma.
Yeah, I would like that.
But if you don't try everything that you can, you're gonna regret it.
[Devi] Hey, Ben?
Yeah.
I'm sorry I called you mean when Margot was over.
You're actually… [inhales]
…very nice to come over and try and cheer me up.
Did it work?
Not really. [sighs]
Hmm.
But I will… [exhales]
…write that essay.
You know, when you called me mean the other night,
it didn't really bother me.
But the thing that keeps replaying in my brain is
when you reminded me that I'm the one who said that we shouldn't be together.
M-- Maybe I was wrong, David.
["Dreaming Of U" by Oberhofer playing]
[vocalizing]
♪ I’ll be dreaming of you tonight ♪
♪ I love you when I see you smile ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ I love you when I see you smile ♪
[vocalizing]
[Nalini yelling] What were you thinking?
Mom, it's not what it looks like.
Nothing happened between us. See? We're both fully clothed.
What?
Oh, Ben. I thought he was one of your dolls.
But now that I do see you, get out of here.
Ms. Warner just called me this morning.
You got into zero colleges,
and then on top of it, you… you lied to me?
Okay, I… I know-- I just-- I couldn't--
You couldn't what? I… I let you take charge of your own college process
because for some strange reason I thought you'd be sensible.
What were you thinking only applying to Ivies?
I mean, how could you be so stupid?
[somber music playing]
I didn't mean stupid. I just-- I meant--
Yes, you did.
And you're right. I am.
I am so sorry you moved all the way from India for nothing.
-Devi-- -Can I just… please be alone?
Okay.
[Dr. Ryan] So you're graduating pretty soon. That's exciting.
-Is it? -For me, it is.
Now I don't have to hear about the weird social politics in orchestra anymore.
Thought you liked when I talked about how bitchy the woodwinds were.
Yeah, I kind of do.
What's going on? Why you look so down?
Oh, I don't know.
Maybe because I'm a complete, gigantic failure.
What are you talking about? You're not a failure.
How?
Like, what's your scale? Loser to trash can?
When I first met you, you were a closed-off, angry little thing.
You didn't wanna get in touch with your feelings,
your pain, your trauma.
All you wanted to do is break stuff.
Hell, I had to start putting all my ceramics away before you came in.
-Sorry. -But look at you.
Look how far you've come.
You faced your trauma, and you came out on the other side.
And I'm sorry to get a little emotional,
but… there were some times there
when I was really worried about you, miss girl.
Look at you today.
I am… so proud of you.
You survived, baby.
You're a survivor.
You really mean that?
This little college thing,
this is just a bump in the road
compared to everything you've already overcome.
You can do anything you put your mind to.
-[vase shatters] -[Devi exhales]
Thank you, Dr. Ryan.
And thank you for helping me.
And I'm sorry about your vase.
That's all right.
That one was a little ugly anyways.
[woman on phone] Arizona State Admissions. How may I direct your call?
Hi. My name is Paxton Hall-Yoshida.
I was enrolled at the beginning of the year,
and I ended up dropping out,
but now I was kind of thinking I wanna come back
and transfer to the undergraduate Teachers College--
[woman] Sir, I don't need your whole life story, okay?
Oh, sorry.
[woman] Let me connect you with Undergraduate Admissions.
Okay.
[woman] And congrats on being a Sun Devil again.
[exhales] Th-- Thank you. Thanks.
[McEnroe] After talking to Dr. Ryan,
Devi knew exactly what this essay needed to say.
[sighs]
[Devi] A long time ago, someone told me to write my college essay about my father.
But I didn't want to
because it felt exploitative and wrong.
However, I don't think there's a way to really know me
without knowing about him.
I should back up and tell you that my father died
my freshman year of high school,
and he died right in front of me at an orchestra concert.
I was 15 years old,
and I watched the person I loved most in the world
disappear right before my eyes.
But I don't want to focus on his death.
It was how he lived that really shaped me.
He was a person who had unending joy and optimism about the world.
Princeton was actually a dream he and I came up with together.
I think I've so fiercely held on to Princeton
so that I could keep holding on to him.
Land between two rivers.
But if you don't accept me,
I'll be okay because I can't lose him.
He's always with me.
But if you do happen to find a spot for me,
I promise I won't take a second of it for granted
because I'd be living that dream not just for me alone.
[inspirational music playing]
[sighs]
[inspirational music continues]
[inspirational music ends]